Old Gretsch

[Granny Gremlin]

For some reason we get a lot of these (and similar modles) locally (usually at 12th Fret, but this is a private sale).  Looks nice and reasonably well kept.  Price seems not too bad either (CAD2.1K - which is about US$1.6k); but still out of my range.  Nice to look at tho.

[Pilgrim]

Man, I really like that. To me, these basses look like a bass OUGHT to look.

[Granny Gremlin]

Agreed - I just don't like the big ass rear cover, but it's just the back.

[ilan]

That's model 6070, mine is similar, a '64. Great sound but huge neck, and the fretboard is flat like a classical guitar - no radius.

[Dave W]

That's a pretty good price in today's market.

The single cutaway 6073 usually brings the highest price due to the Peter Tork/Monkees connection.

[ilan]

The single cutaway 6073 usually brings the highest price due to the Peter Tork/Monkees connection.

That, and its short scale which makes it actually playable. The long-scale 6070/6072 with their bridge about mid-body places the nut very far away and feels awkward, almost like it's 40" scale. And of course they are ridiculously neck-heavy. I'd say that with its huge neck, flat fretboard, and crazy neck-dive, the 6070 is the least comfortable bass ever made. But it also is one of the most attractive basses.

[Granny Gremlin]

Interesting.  The seller  does say it is a 6070 -  I forgot to mention that earlier.  The price did seem pretty good though (still out of reach for me - especially given what Ilian is saying about playability). That's probably mostly due to the neck heel binding cap missing.

Love the finish tho - is that wear on the neck or the original burst?

[ilan]

Interesting.  The seller  does say it is a 6070 -  I forgot to mention that earlier.  The price did seem pretty good though (still out of reach for me - especially given what Ilian is saying about playability). That's probably mostly due to the neck heel binding cap missing.

Love the finish tho - is that wear on the neck or the original burst?

It's the burst. And the heel cap on mine also deteriorated.

[Alanko]

Bernard Paganotti plays a bass like that, which I think he's owned since the '60s. There must be something to them, as he also played custom Jacobacci basses, and presumably could get basses built to any spec he wanted.

Do these basses have end pins? Gretsch made a bass like that and I've seen it called a 'cello' bass in literature.

[ilan]

It has an end button but when I bought the bass the spike was long gone.

Even Entwistle had a 6070 at one point.



This is the catalog pic. And an old pic (16 years ago) of myself with the 6070. I have always liked double-cut Gretsches because they look like George Harrison's guitar on the Ed Sullivan Show, I thought it was the best looking guitar I've ever seen. And then I learned there was a bass version so I had to have one.

[Pilgrim]

Seeing you holding that Gretsch really helps give an idea of its size and neck placement.  Looks like a real handful!

[Dave W]

The one I played was short scale (6071?). It looked the same as Ilan's, had an enormous neck, and it seemed like the bridge was halfway between the end of the neck and the end of the body.

[amptech]

I have a '63. Huge log of a neck, but sounds equally huge!

[Granny Gremlin]

I thought the tuners were just small, but that's a massive headstock.

[uwe]

Oh my, it looks like a Merkava tank on you



and you're a tall guy!